Saturday night at the movies!

Well, Saturday night at eight o'clock

I know where I'm gonna go

I'm a-gonna pick my baby up

And take her to the picture show

Everybody in the neighborhood

Is dressing up to be there, too

And we're gonna have a ball

Just like we always do

Saturday night at the movies

Who cares what picture you see

When you're hugging with your baby

Last row in the balcony

Ok, are you hearing the Drifters crooning about going to the movies, yet?  Ahhh, love some old Drifters.

Anyway, this past Saturday, we had our very own night at the movies in our very own backyard. No balconies, and I was hugging my actual baby, but it was still quite magical. See, my little baby turned 7.

I can't believe Molly is now officially 7. I'm pretty sure I say that with each birthday, but, well, it's still true. Molly is a social butterfly. She wants to be doing something, seeing someone or going somewhere every minute of the day. Truth be told, it exhausts me. (Ok, if you know me at all, you are not surprised by this.)

So, when it came time to planning her birthday party, she wanted a huge party with everyone she knew invited. We started counting it up, and we were upwards of 30 kids. So, because I started having a nervous panic attack at the thought of that many children in my house, I told her we had to cut it down. I tried to convince her to have an art party at an art studio, but told her she could only have about 6 guests. And, she's been wanting to have a slumber party for a couple years now, so I said that we could do that, but, could only invite 3 girls. (No way am I having a ton of kids overnight!). Well, Molly, ever the people-pleaser and sweet soul, didn't want to leave anyone out. It was a no for the art and the slumber party.

After much discussion, we finally came up with a compromise. We were turning it into a girls-only party. And, because she really wanted a sleepover, but wanted more people, we started brainstorming. That's when someone happened to mention that they'd had an outdoor movie birthday for one of their kids. Perfect. It would be in the evening/night, so it was almost like a slumber party, but all the kids went home, so she could invite all her girlfriends.

Of course, next step: Pinterest. There are some great ideas out there, and I just took 'em all.

With the end of school happening, the party kind of got pushed back into the recesses of my mind, so I didn't start planning as early as I normally do. I did manage to make the invitation in advance. Honestly, of all the invitations that I've made, this is my favorite. I thought it turned out super cute.

I really should've planned better and done my shopping for the party before school was out. But, well, I didn't. So, I did all my shopping with both girls in tow. They really aren't bad, but when you have a million places to go, getting in and out of the car with two kids just makes everything take longer. I was ready to pull my hair out on Friday afternoon after a whole day of errand running, let me tell you.

What was a pleasant surprise is that Party City has a whole movie night section. I totally scored with a lot of stuff such as the plates, napkins, tablecloths, etc. I ended up having HyVee make the cake. I of course found one online that I liked and brought the picture in to them. They said "no problem." It was great, because that was only about a week and a half before the party! Cutting it close, people. Though, I'd originally told them a number of people, then we got more RSVPs, so I started freaking out if we would have enough cake. Cory to the rescue. He made cupcakes just like I'd found online.

We also kind of freaked out all day because it kept spitting rain. We had a whole plan for the backyard and rain was not in this plan. Luckily, it finally turned around and cleared up. It ended up being a beautiful night.

So, enough prep stuff. It's party time!

Chocolate, chocolate everywhere!

My baby girl, Charlotte, turned 4 this February. We were having a tough time deciding on a theme. We kept throwing around idea after idea, but nothing was sticking. Then, pushing our cart through Target, we walked through the Christmas clearance section. There, I stumbled on a roll of wrapping paper covered in hot chocolate mugs.

Eureka!

We would have a hot chocolate party. Charlotte loves hot chocolate, so she was totally on board. As we started planning it, it became clear that having the theme as hot chocolate was a little limiting, so we expanded to just have all chocolate. Charlotte was still very ok with this idea. This girl loves her chocolate.

We started with the invitations. I looked on Pinterest for some ideas, then made this one:

The meteorologists forecasted a huge snow storm the week before the party, so I went to the grocery store to stock up in advance. Man, that cashier must have thought I was the worst mom ever when she checked out my cart. Nothing but chocolate junk. (Actually, I think I had bananas and milk in there, too, so that totally makes up for the massive quantities of chocolate, right?)

Charlotte with all the chocolate before the party.

I didn't really have too many games or plans. I mainly concentrated on food. My friend Sarah had a chocolate fountain that I borrowed, and I actually baked a few things. (This is a huge feat for those who know me!)

Polar Bear Pajama Party

My little baby girl is turning 3 next Wednesday. So, as it happens when birthdays come around, it was time for a birthday party. And, you know how I get when it comes to birthday parties. Go big or go home.

For quite a while now, Charlotte's been obsessed with Dora. And, she had wanted a Dora birthday party. But, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I thought, "Dora? Everyone does Dora. We need something more creative."

So, along I come with my big ideas and Pinterest:. A Polar Bear Pajama party. To be fair, Charlotte does love polar bears. It's kind of a freakish attachment, and I'm not entirely sure where it came from. But, she loves those bears.

I was majorly questioning my own sanity when Target started carrying all things Dora all over the place a couple weeks before the party. I mean, it was like the universe telling me I was stupid for choosing to do something that required so much of my own work instead of just buying the pre-made Dora paraphernalia. But, I persevered. (Mainly because the invitations were already sent out, and they were Polar Bear.)

Then, today, the day finally arrived. A Polar Bear Pajama party for my baby girl's 3rd birthday!

The cake table.

Cupcakes made by Gigi.

Polar Water with labels.

Pirates and Pixies ahoy!

I know that at some point, Molly's birthday parties are no longer going to be big backyard parties. I know one day, she'll want to invite school friends. Friends whose parents we don't know. Probably mostly girl friends. And, one day, she'll insist on a Barbie party. Or, she'll want it at Chuck-E-Cheese.

One day, Molly will have incredibly definitive opinions about everything related to her party. I'm preparing myself for that day, that birthday party.

But, this year, Molly still let Mommy have her fun.

So, for her 5th birthday, we planned a Pirate and Pixie party!

I still like to have big outdoor backyard parties with all our friends and their kids. These kids include a lot of boys, so I knew we needed a more gender-neutral theme than Barbie (Molly's original idea for a party theme). I just didn't want to overload the poor boys with pink frou-frou and hooker heels. I was blocked, trying to come up with something fun for boys and girls (last year's superhero party was a big hit, so I had a lot to live up to). Finally, a friend of mine told me about a theme she saw, and I loved it.

Pirates and Pixies.

It pleases boys and girls, and I could already imagine the cute pictures!

The planning was rather rushed and haphazard, but it still managed to come together pretty well.

Treasure chest full of goodies for the kids to wear during the party. For the girls, I had wings, crowns and pixie wands. The boys had hats, pirate bandanas and eye patches. I ordered the wings, crowns and wands online, found the pirate hats and eye patches at Hobby Lobby, and the pirate bandanas online here.

The deck. I was trying for a pixie forest whimsical feel. We draped pink, green and white tulle across the roof of the deck, then hung lanterns in the middle. 

Cory turned our canoe into a pirate ship, complete with flag and plank for walking.

The cake table. I looked and looked for a good idea for a pirate and pixie cake. Couldn't find one. So, we had to do two separate cakes. And, when I say "we," I actually mean "my mom."

First up: the Tinkerbell Pixie cake. Molly thought it was beautiful.

And, the pirate treasure cake. It was awesome looking and delicious!

Molly's Aunt Sarah came in town and provided beautiful face painting for the party.

Even I got in on the act.

Pixies Wands or Harry Potter Wands? You decide.

The food spread.

The trick: finding a creative pirate or pixie name for all the food.

More food.

And more.

We held a treasure hunt. All the kids had to complete an activity, then they got another piece of the map. The first game was to rescue the pixies from the pond by throwing them rings.

Next up: Shoot the pirates with straw wrappers.

And, of course, walking the plank.

Catching the pixies from the tree.

And finally: the buried treasure!

Happy Birthday, Molly!

I got one last big, fun, outdoor hurrah! I will prepare myself for the future parties in which I get no creative control, but at least for this one, Molly let my imagination (and Pinterest) go crazy. Thanks, Molls. And, happy birthday to my first baby girl.

Curious monkeys for an adorable baby

I know all of you dear readers have been dying for another edition of my theme party planning a go go. Well, maybe you aren't all dying for it, but you get to hear about it anyway. Here's the thing: I'm pretty sure Cory's ready to drop me off at theme rehab. Is there a 12-step program for theme overload? I should probably start it, but I'm not ready to admit I have a problem. Themes are still my friend. I have yet to hit rock bottom. So, what is my latest theme? Curious George!

Yesterday, I threw a baby shower for my friend Sarah. Everything was super last minute because they got all of four hours notice before they became parents to baby Jack. So, the shower was also thrown together in less than three weeks. Talk about cutting it close. It did not help that I started reading The Hunger Games trilogy a week before the shower and could not put the books down. There were many times I should've been working on stuff for the shower, but instead, I was reading. It's a problem of mine. If there were a Hunger Games rehab, I probably should go there, too.

Anyway, it turns out that Curious George was Sarah's favorite childhood book. I could tell you that was why I chose the theme. Of course, then I'd be lying. But, it was an enormously happy coincidence. Or fate. Let's go with fate. I like that better. However, there was only so much I could do with Curious George, so I had to expand the theme to include other monkeys as well.

Superheros love rain!

Yesterday, Molly turned 4. My baby girl turned 4 years old.

Somehow, somewhere, someone started telling Molly that though she wasn't big enough for what she wanted to do, she could do it when she was older. Namely, once she turned 4. (I'm not naming names, but I'm pretty sure the guy who sleeps in my bed is on the top of the suspect list.) This reasoning was given for any number of things: climbing a tree, having a sleepover, doing the monkey bars. I have no idea why such a close age was chosen, especially because the girl has the memory of an elephant. Seriously, she remembers trips that we took two years ago, she remembers who lives in what neighborhoods we drive into, she remembers tiny parts of toys that were left here six months ago by friends. Of course she's going to remember she is allowed to do certain things when she turns 4.

Because the 4th birthday was such a big deal, it was a huge decision on what kind of birthday party to have. I've talked before about the guilt I feel from the anti-princess faction. I know Molly would love a princess birthday party. She would love a make-over party. She would love any kind of girly party we could come up with. But, I just felt so guilty. So, when we went to a Sesame Street show in January, and Elmo and his friends were Superheros, an idea dawned on me. Molly started running around the house pretending to be a superhero; wanting problems to fix and capes to wear. That's it! We could have a superhero/supergirl party. She could still dress up (with a cape), but I could feel less guilty about the princess factor. Of course, I did do everything in pink, so that might have undercut the whole point, but, well, I never claimed to be perfect.

Ladybug Bonanza

My little Charlotte turned one at the beginning of February. And, here's the thing: I LOVE kid's birthday parties. I love going to them, and I love having them. I started doing big birthday parties with Molly's first. They seem to keep getting bigger. I'm sure it is completely my fault. Molly was really the first child of almost all of our friends, so her first birthday was pretty much just a party for all our friends and family. Because she was born on Memorial Day, her party was planned for that weekend. Memorial day weekend meant big backyard BBQ. The next year, more of our friends had kids, so there were more children at the party. We still did a backyard party; theme: Minnie Mouse. Last year, even more of our friends had kids, and all the kids were getting bigger, so we had a birthday party outside again (theme: butterflies). Now, as any of you who have kids or have ever been around kids know, kids take up five times the space of adults. I know, this seems completely illogical - "kids are way smaller than adults," you say. But, trust me, you could easily fit 30 adults in my house; 30 children - no freaking way! This is why the outdoor party is such a good thing. We just kick all the kids out the door to play in the backyard.

An example of the craziness that is a ton of kids inside for a birthday party. This was Molly's 3rd when we came inside briefly to open presents. Mass chaos, I'm telling you.

All of this background to explain Charlotte's party. She had the unfortunate luck of being born in February. This means, unless we do an igloo-themed party, we can't have it outside. But, we've only ever had birthday parties at our house, and I wanted to have Charlotte's first in our home. So, the guest list was cut way down. Serving dinner for everyone was nixed. We had to pare everything down. Well, that was the plan. Then, I came up with a theme: Ladybugs. Then, I Googled ladybug birthday parties. Then, I started planning. The ideas just came flying at me, and I couldn't stop myself! First, it was the cute red and white polka dot dress for Charlotte. Next, it was the ladybug cake. Then, red and black Twizzlers, kids' drink bottles painted with ladybug spots, ladybug crackers ... The list goes on and on. I had a blast! A friend recently said that I was amongst some fierce competition for kids birthday party planning. I swear, I don't mean to go crazy. But, everything is so cute, and I just have the most fun going with a theme. Again, maybe it's that creative outlet that I need. Although, I do have to admit, my brilliant idea to make a banner like one that I saw on Etsy was probably a bit ambitious. All the time and effort it took me - I'm pretty sure it would've been worth it to spend the 30 bucks to buy it from Etsy.

I am putting some pictures up here because I came up with so many of my ideas by looking at what other people had on the web. So, maybe other people can steal some of my ideas, just like I stole other people's. Or, you can laugh at my going overboard and tell yourself that I am completely insane. I KNOW my husband would agree with you on that point.

The banner turned out really cute, but would've been just as good had I just forked over the $30 for the one from Etsy. 

The sweets table. Red Twizzlers. Red and black Twizzler bites. The tablecloth was actually some fabric that my mom happened across at Hobby Lobby. 

The treat bags. I borrowed my friend's "Cricut" to cut out all the letters for these and the banner. I gotta say, that Cricut is pretty freaking amazing.

The spread. I found the cute plates and napkins here.

The ladybug crackers. Super cute and tasty.

We came up with this one on our own. We took cheese Bagel Bites, cut pepperoni into the shape of wings, then added an olive for the head. They were popular, clearly, I couldn't even get a picture before some were already gone.

The birthday cake. I saw a picture similar to this online and had my mom make it. Now, I am not able to bake or decorate anything that could look remotely like this. Luckily, I have a mom who can.

The birthday girl. Yes, I bought a bib to match the theme. Online shopping can be dangerous.

Now, all of this work and planning, and did Charlotte appreciate it? Well, no, of course she didn't. Did she have a clue that any of it was really for her? No. But, it made me happy to do it for her (well, let's be honest, a lot of it was just because I was having fun). So, how did she repay me? She got up that night at 3AM and decided that she was up for the day and mommy should be, too. Ahhh .... paybacks are a bit@#.